4 most unexpected Cleveland Browns stars from 2023

With the regular season in the rearview, the Cleveland Browns are focused on this weekend as they start their playoff run. Their first opponent, and hopefully not their last, will be the Houston Texans. As winners of the AFC South, Houston gets to host the game despite Cleveland having the better record.

As the team is focused on finding a way to stay alive and head to the Divisional Round, we’re about to take a look back on the regular season that just came to a close. The Browns were able to secure 11 wins despite an alarming number of players being sent to the IR. That doesn’t happen without some unexpected contributors doing more than their share.

With that being the case, here are the four biggest stars that no one saw coming this year. Without them, the Browns might not have been able to make it this far but thanks to them (as well as their expected stars such as Myles Garrett and Amari Cooper), they can make a run.

4. Ronnie Hickman, S

In an effort to shore up their secondary, the Browns signed Juan Thornhill and Rodney McLeod this offseason. Their presence gave them two veterans capable of playing coverage which eliminated a major concern on the back end. That concern came back when McLeod was lost for the season and Thornhill battled nagging injuries.

Thankfully, Ronnie Hickman was ready to answer the call. Undrafted out of Ohio State, Hickman burst onto the scene late in the year. He showed the fearless style he displayed at OSU but was also a weapon in coverage.

Hickman appeared in 10 games and had four starts. He finished with 25 tackles, three pass defenses, and had a pick-six in the win over the Jets. Cleveland should have Thornhill back in the playoffs but Grant Delpit’s status is still unknown. While they’d prefer to have Delpit, Hickman has proven himself more than capable of filling in until he can return.

3. Dustin Hopkins, K

When the Browns started training camp, they were trying to get Cade York on track. A fourth-round pick from LSU in 2022, York drilled a 58-yard game-winner in his debut game. From that point on, it was a roller-coaster for him.

A rough camp and preseason led to his release and in came Dustin Hopkins. The veteran kicker lost his job to Cameron Dicker and the Chargers were willing to deal his rights for a late-round pick.

He proved to be well worth the compensation as he knocked in 33-of-36 kicks including 8-of-8 from beyond 50. The long kicks led to him being honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. After the win over Indianapolis, he became the first player to make a kick from beyond 50 in five consecutive games — and now, his jersey from the record-setting day is on display in Canton.

As if his proficiency from long distance wasn’t enough, Hopkins also had game-winning field goals against the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers in back-to-back weeks. He hit another in their comeback win over the Chicago Bears. He was considered automatic, especially in the clutch, after drilling these kicks right down Broadway.

Hopkins nearly broke a franchise record that’s been standing since 1965 during his sensational season. He wound up just five points shy of Jim Brown’s points record but a hamstring injury forced him out for the final two games. Hopefully, he can return for the playoffs because he’s proven to be a major weapon.

2. Jerome Ford, RB

When Nick Chubb suffered a knee injury in a Week 2 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it was a devastating blow. The Browns offense had every intention of dialing up the pass more often in 2023 but that didn’t mean Chubb didn’t have a role. Instead, he was supposed to be utilized more in the passing game and they planned to prevent wearing him down early in the year.

Cleveland wanted to be able to pound the rock to close out games and Chubb is excellent in such a role. Without him, they turned to Jerome Ford who was an unknown after hardly touching the ball as a rookie. He remained the starter all year and while he wasn’t as impactful as Chubb, he had some great moments including a 69-yard touchdown run in Week 2 after taking over for Chubb.

He added another 69-yarder when they knocked off the Indianapolis Colts. In all, he had 813 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. He also proved to be a weapon in the passing game with 319 yards and five touchdowns on 44 receptions.

Maybe he wasn’t a superstar and there were games where he was neutralized. But overall, Ford gave the team all he had and finished with 1,132 yards from scrimmage and nine total touchdowns. That’s more than anyone expected from him — even after Chubb went down.

1. Joe Flacco, QB

Not only was Joe Flacco an unexpected star in Cleveland but he was also an unexpected star in the league. After spending the past three seasons as a backup with the New York Jets, Flacco was released ahead of the 2023 campaign. He then sat unsigned until mid-November when the Browns decided to bring him in as a practice squad player.

Originally seen as insurance following Deshaun Watson’s season-ending injury, Flacco wound up starting in Week 13 when Dorian Thompson-Robinson was out with a concussion. Cleveland lost the game but Flacco showed enough to earn more time. A win the following week over the Jacksonville Jaguars was enough for him to keep the job. It also started “Flacco Fever” across the league.

Flacco had 311 yards and three touchdowns in that win and then led them to three more victories. During that four-game winning streak, the 38-year-old had at least 300 yards and two touchdowns in each game. He ended up finishing with 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns while leading the Browns to more than 30 points three different times.

A former Super Bowl winner, Flacco will take the reins again this Saturday after taking Week 18 off. He’s 5-0 in his career in Wild Card games and if he makes it 6-0, the fan base might be ready to put up a statue.

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